Process fob the manufacture of spun



Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SPUN GOODS, FABRICS, AND THE LIKE No Drawing. Application November 1, 1934, Se rial No. 751,112. In Germany November 2, 1933 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a process 'for the manufacture of spun goods, fabrics and the like. It is known to subject animal skins, after loosening the skin texture by suitable treatment,

for example with the aid of liquids having a swelling action, to a mechanical disintegrating treatment and to work up the fibrous material so obtained in a wet or moist condition to products, silizch as artificial leather, artificial gut and the 11 e.

The object of the present invention is to employ fibres, obtained from animal skins, such as neats skins, calf skins and the like, or waste from the same, for textile purposes, for example for the production of spun goods, fabrics and the like and products obtained therefrom. The unfavourable colloidal properties of the skin fibres. which have a detrimental effect, particularly when converting the moist fibrous material into more or less extensively dried material, however, stand in the way of such application. If, for example, the skins, the structure of which has been loosened in known manner by the action of swelling agents, e. g. milk of lime, are subjected to a mechanical disintegrating process, a wet or moist coarse fibrous material is first obtained, which consists of fibre bundles or contains the same as essential constituent. It has been found to be impossible to convert this moist coarse fibrous material on a technical scale into fine fibres suitable for textile purposes. On drying the coarse fibrous material by heating, if desired in a vacuum, passing air over and the like procedures, it has been found that the colloidal properties of the fibres are unfavourably changed. The fibres thereby tend to stick together and become horny and brittle and to crack. Fibres and fibre bundles, which have been already liberated, readily again stick together in the form of ropes and lumps. Attempts to work up dry material obtained in this way into fine fibres, such as are required for further working up in the textile industry, have shown that the fibre bundles and ropes cannot be separated from one another,

without .the fibres becoming broken up into small shreds or fragments.

Exhaustive researches have shown that the difficulties described above can be successfully overcome by treating the disintegrated product, obtained by mechanical disintegration of the previously loosened skins, with agents, which are capable of so altering the colloidal properties of the skin fibres, that disturbing phenomena, such as sticking together, becoming horny and the like. no longer appear and subjecting the material so treated to a fine teasing out or shredding treatment.

This may, for example, be effected by subjecting the coarse fibrous material, obtained from a hide substance, for example by chemical, physical or biological loosening treatments and mechanical disintegration, to a treatment with liquids miscible with water such as alcohol, acetone and the like. In this way it is possible to bring the fibrous material into a condition, which enables the material to be disintegrated without damage thereto into individual fibres suitable for further working up in the textile industry.

The invention may, for example, be carried into effect by converting the skins or skin parts to be worked up, by treatment with alkaline liquids,

such as milk of lime, dilute soda lye or ammonia, or with acid liquids, such as formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, hydrochloric acid or sulphurous acid, or with salt solutions, such as thiocyanates, sodium carbonate or the like, into a condition, which enables disintegration to be effected without damage to the material and whilst maintaining the fibres, subjecting the pretreated skins to more or less extensive disintegration for example by treatment in a hollander, and depriving the disintegrated product of the unfavourable colloidal properties, which prevent it from being further worked up into fine fibres. This may be effected in a very simple manner, for example by causing liquids having a shrinking or unswelling action, such as alcohol, acetone and the like, to react with the material, previously freed from the main quantity of liquid present by procedures, such as draining, expressing, centrifuging and the like, under conditions, under which more or less extensive dehydration of the fibrous material takes place. The organic liquid may, for example, be allowed to irrigate or trickle through, or be sucked or pressed through, the fibrous material, an advantageous procedure being to connect several treatment vessels, charged with fibrous material, in series and to pass the organic liquid through the system. After the desired degree of dehydration has been reached, the organic liquid may be removed by usual methods, such as passing air or other gases, which may if desired be heated, through the material, evacuating or the like procedures, and subjecting the coarse fibrous material to fine shredding. In this way individual fibres are obtained, which, with regard to tenacity, uniformity, length of staple and the like, are suitable for being further worked up in the textile industry by processes such as spinning, weaving and the like.

able agents of theafores'aid kind are those, which are capable of reducing'or removing the hydrophile properties of the skin fibres, of improving the fibres with regard to elasticity, pliability, crimping and the like, of increasing the absorptive powers of the same for dyestuffs and the like. As agents for improving the properties of the fibres there may, for example, be employed vegetable and mineral tanning agents, oils, fats, mordants, softening agents and the like. The aforesaid agents may be introduced during the treatment of the coarse fibrous material together with the agents for altering the colloidal properties of the fibres or may also be employed previously or subsequently.

The resulting fine fibrous material may be worked up. alone or together with other fibres capable of being worked up in the textile industry, for example wool fibres, by the usual methods employed in the textile industry. If the fibrous material has not been treated with tanning agents or similarly acting agents, it is advisable to subject the further worked up products to such a Examples l.1000 kgms. of normally limed hide waste are laid for 20 days in milk of lime at air temperature and/or allowed to stand in the presence or absence of atmospheric air at ordinary or slightly elevated temperature and/ or treated with mildly acting acids, e. g. 1-5% acetic acid. The loosened hide'material is subjected to a more or less extensive mechanical disintegrating or shredding treatment in a Hollander, the resulting material, consisting for example subtantially of fibre ropes, is freed from excess water, for example by expressing, the water still present is more or less extensively displaced by alcohol, if desired by successive treatments with alcohol and acetone, and the resulting fibrous mass, which, besides any water still present may possibly also contain more orless large quantities of organic liquid, is worked up on suitable apparatus, such as carding combs, teasles and the like, into a fine fibrous material. It is not necessary to effect complete or extensive drying of the coarse fibrous material. Coarse fibrous material, which still contains certain quantities of moisture, may also be worked up and the fine shredding be efiected in such a way, that the excess of moisture is if desired thereby reduced or given off. The fine fibrous material may then be worked up by usual methods into yam, fabric and the like. Insofar as the fibrous material has not already been previously treated with agents for improving its properties (improving agents), the material may be subjected, for example in the hank or piece, to a treatment with such agents, as tanning agents, oils, fats, mordants, SQftening agents, dyestufis and the like. In certain cases a repeated treatment with agents as aforesaid, if desired difierent agents, may take place, fa"v example a treatment of the fibrous material and, a subsequent treatment of the yarn or fabric. When treating yarns or fabrics with agents, with the aid of which the texture is thoroughlywetied or moistened, drying may be effected, if desired with the aid of organic solvents.

2.1000 kgms. of limed hide waste are subjected to a pretreatment with swelling agents and thereafter to mechanical disintegration in a hollander and the coarse fibrous material treated with substances having a tanning action. The fibrous material is thereafter treated with organic liquids miscible with water and, after more or less extensive removal of water has been effected, is finely shredded and further worked up into textiles by the usual methods.

3.Hide waste is treated as described in Example v1 with the proviso that, after the fine shredding operation, agents for reducing or removing the hydrophile properties are caused to react with the fibrous material and the latter is thereafter dried with organic liquids.

What we claim is:

1. In a process for the manufacture of spun goods, fabrics and other textiles with fibres obtained from animal skins, the improvement which comprises treating animal skins with swelling agents, mechanically shredding the swollen skins coarsely while in swollen condition, treating the coarsely shredded fibrous material with organic liquids, said organic liquids being miscible with water and chemically inert with respect to said fibres, and having the property of changing the colloidal. properties of the fibres, thereby removing the greater. portion of the absorbed water and preventing the fibrous material from gumming up and becoming horny, and finely shredding the material so treated while still substantially free from water. i

2. In a process for-the manufacture of spun goods, fabrics and other textileswith fibres obtained from animal skins, the improvement which comprises treating animal skins with swelling agents, mechanically shredding the swollen skins coarsely while in swollen condition, removing the excess water present in the coarse fibrous material, treating the coarsely shredded fibrous material with organic liquids, said organic liquids being miscible with water and chemically inert with respect to said fibres, and having the property of changing the colloidal properties'of the fibres, thereby removing thegreater portion of the absorbed water and preventing the fibrous material from gumming up and becoming horny, and finely shredding the material so treated while still substantially free from water.

3. A process according to claim 1, wherein the fine fibres are treated during the process of their production with substances, which are capable of improving the properties of the fibres and are selected from the group consisting of tanning agents, oils, fats, mordants, softening agents and dyestuffs.

4. In a process for the manufacture of spun goods, fabrics and other textiles with fibres obtained from animal skins, the improvement which comprises treating animal skins with swelling agents, mechanically shredding the swollen skins coarsely while in swollen condition, treating the coarsely shredded fibrous material with organic liquids, said organic liquids being miscible with water and chemically inert with respect to said fibres, and having the property of changing the colloidal properties of the fibres,- thereby remov ing the greater portion of the absorbed water and preventing the fibrous material from gumming up and becoming horny, finely shredding the material so treated while still substantially free from water, and treating the fine fibres with substances which improve their properties selected from the group consisting of tanning agents, oils, fats, mordants, softening agents, and dye stufis.

5. In a process for the manufacture of spun oods, fabrics and other textiles with fibres obtainedfrom animal skins, the improvement which comprises treating animal skins with swelling agents, mechanically shredding the swollen skins coarsely while in swollen condition, treating the coarsely shredded fibrous material with organic liquids, said organic liquids being miscible with water and chemically inert with respect to said fibres, and having the property of changing the colloidal properties of the fibres, thereby removing the greater portion of the absorbed water and preventing the fibrous material from gumming up and becoming horny, finely shredding the material so treated while still substantially free from water. working up the fine fibres into yarns and fabrics, and treating said yarns and fabrics with substances which improve their properties selected from the group consisting of tanning agents, oils, fats, mordants, softening agents and dyestufis.

RICHARD FREUDENBERG. HANS F'REUDENBERG. ROLAND RUNKEL. GUSTAV LANGE. 

